GCSE Geography | Classifying rocks and the cycle, igneous, sedimentary

Geography Quiz - Classifying Rocks and the Rock Cycle (Questions)

Rocks are not fixed forever. In this GCSE Geography quiz you will explore how rocks form, break down, and change type through the rock cycle.

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Fascinating Fact:

The rock cycle describes how rocks can change from one type to another through weathering, erosion, transport, deposition, burial, melting, and cooling.

In GCSE Geography, pupils learn how different rock types are classified and linked to real places. You will explore how rock characteristics influence soils, slopes, building materials, and landforms such as cliffs, scree slopes, and upland plateaus, helping you explain why landscapes look and behave differently.

Key Terms

Rock cycle: A diagram geographers use to show how igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks are connected by processes inside the Earth and at its surface.
Igneous rock: Rock formed when molten magma or lava cools and solidifies, for example basalt from lava flows or granite from deeper intrusive bodies.
Sedimentary rock: Rock made when layers of sediment are compacted and cemented together, such as sandstone, limestone, or shale, often showing visible bedding planes.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is the rock cycle in GCSE Geography?

In GCSE Geography, the rock cycle is a simplified model that links igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. It shows how each type forms and how rock material moves through the system over time.

What are the three main rock types in the rock cycle?

The three main rock types are igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. Igneous rocks form from cooling magma, sedimentary rocks from compacted sediments, and metamorphic rocks from existing rocks changed by heat and pressure.

How does the rock cycle affect landscapes?

The rock cycle affects landscapes by creating hard and soft rocks that weather and erode at different rates. This helps explain features such as steep cliffs, rolling hills, escarpments, and rocky uplands.

Try These Related Quizzes

Rocks that are made from small particles formed by weathering and erosion are ...

[ ]	igneous rocks
[ ]	sedimentary rocks
[ ]	metamorphic rocks
[ ]	mud

Which type of rock can become an igneous rock?

[ ]	Igneous
[ ]	Metamorphic
[ ]	Sedimentary
[ ]	Any

How are metamorphic rocks formed?

[ ]	By melting other rocks
[ ]	By heating and compressing other rocks
[ ]	By cooling other rocks
[ ]	By dissolving other rocks

Where do metamorphic rocks form?

[ ]	Under mountain ranges
[ ]	On the beds of seas and lakes
[ ]	At the sea shore
[ ]	In volcanic craters at the surface of the Earth

Which of the following describes weathering?

[ ]	The breaking down of rocks where they are found
[ ]	The breaking down of rocks during transport
[ ]	Rain falling on a piece of rock
[ ]	A rock dissolving in acid

Which of the following statements about the rock cycle is not true?

[ ]	All rocks can undergo weathering and erosion to form sedimentary rocks
[ ]	Igneous rocks are formed when other rocks are melted and then solidified
[ ]	Metamorphic rocks are formed by heat and pressure
[ ]	Metamorphic rocks are the end product of the rock cycle

Which of the following is a property of a metamorphic rock?

[ ]	Porous
[ ]	Soft and easily eroded
[ ]	Formed because of enormously high temperature and pressure
[ ]	Made by the action of flowing water

Rocks that are formed from lava are called ...

[ ]	intrusive igneous rocks
[ ]	extrusive igneous rocks
[ ]	magma
[ ]	metamorphosed sedimentary rocks

Magma is ...

[ ]	solid rock
[ ]	liquid rock
[ ]	gaseous rock
[ ]	a mixture of all three rock types

10.

Sedimentary rocks are formed ...

[ ]	in volcanoes
[ ]	deep under mountain ranges
[ ]	on the sea bed
[ ]	on the side of a mountain

Geography Quiz - Classifying Rocks and the Rock Cycle (Answers)

Rocks that are made from small particles formed by weathering and erosion are ...

[ ]	igneous rocks
[x]	sedimentary rocks
[ ]	metamorphic rocks
[ ]	mud

Weathering and erosion is a constant but very slow process

Which type of rock can become an igneous rock?

[ ]	Igneous
[ ]	Metamorphic
[ ]	Sedimentary
[x]	Any

Any rock, if it is melted and then solidified, becomes an igneous rock

How are metamorphic rocks formed?

[ ]	By melting other rocks
[x]	By heating and compressing other rocks
[ ]	By cooling other rocks
[ ]	By dissolving other rocks

Some metamorphic rocks are formed mainly by the pressure caused by being deeply buried. Others are formed mainly by the heat from nearby molten magma and some are formed equally from the heat and pressure of being buried deep in the Earth

Where do metamorphic rocks form?

[x]	Under mountain ranges
[ ]	On the beds of seas and lakes
[ ]	At the sea shore
[ ]	In volcanic craters at the surface of the Earth

The temperatures and pressures needed to make most metamorphic rocks are only found where plates are colliding. The greatest pressures and temperatures are found under mountain ranges but there are exceptions to this, e.g. marble can be formed well away from plate boundaries

Which of the following describes weathering?

[x]	The breaking down of rocks where they are found
[ ]	The breaking down of rocks during transport
[ ]	Rain falling on a piece of rock
[ ]	A rock dissolving in acid

The last two alternatives could be a part of weathering, the full description is the first answer

Which of the following statements about the rock cycle is not true?

[ ]	All rocks can undergo weathering and erosion to form sedimentary rocks
[ ]	Igneous rocks are formed when other rocks are melted and then solidified
[ ]	Metamorphic rocks are formed by heat and pressure
[x]	Metamorphic rocks are the end product of the rock cycle

Any rock can be changed into any other type of rock during the rock cycle

Which of the following is a property of a metamorphic rock?

[ ]	Porous
[ ]	Soft and easily eroded
[x]	Formed because of enormously high temperature and pressure
[ ]	Made by the action of flowing water

They are usually very resistant to weathering and erosion

Rocks that are formed from lava are called ...

[ ]	intrusive igneous rocks
[x]	extrusive igneous rocks
[ ]	magma
[ ]	metamorphosed sedimentary rocks

Extrusive rocks are formed at the surface of the Earth